


dandelion keeper

by peachyblush



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: (there is no in-between), Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Anxiety, Crushing, Fluff, Keeper Junmyeon, M/M, Mention of Past Abuse, No Thinking, Overthinking, Panic Attack, Past Suho/Chanyeol, Quidditch AU, Seeker Sehun, Self-Doubt, Slow Burn, Symptoms of PTSD, Very Low Confidence, slight angst, two (2) Bad Jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-05 06:50:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14612025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachyblush/pseuds/peachyblush
Summary: his secrets are preserved in a metaphorical bottle, but it's about time he opens it up.(previously called: seeking and keeping)





	dandelion keeper

**Author's Note:**

> [prompt #137]
> 
> [there are many grammatical mistakes please forgive me i'll correct them soon!]

Liyin’s lips press against his forehead, Junmyeon closes his eyes momentarily, smiling. She’s the most affectionate person Junmyeon’s ever met during his five years at Hogwarts, she’s a third year, yet she talks to everyone as if they have been friends for centuries. She is just friendly, but that does not stop Junmyeon’s dumb mind from thinking maybe, just _maybe_ , she’s flirting with him – that she doesn’t mean all the affection in a friendly way. But, Junmyeon thinks like that even if he’s shown basic human decencies, he never learnt when to overthink actions and when not to.

“Goo’ night,” Liyin says, grinning bright and wide. “See you later.”

She heads to the girls’ room, her braid loosening as she skips through her way, Junmyeon barely whispers his reply. (He mentally reminds himself to tie a hairband after he’s done braiding Liyin’s hair.) It’s his sixth year at Hogwarts, it feels surreal, he’ll graduate in another year, another step closer to becoming a Healer.

Given his small attention lifespan, Junmyeon is surprised he isn’t distracted from his goal. Junmyeon considers girls as one of the many distractions existing, then looks at his terribly handsome best friend(s), and decides girls _and_ boys are a huge distraction. He’s surrounded by distractions, God knows how in the world he’s got nearly (keyword: nearly. He got an _Acceptable_ in Divination) all _Outstanding_ in his O.W.Ls – he’s glad about it, though.

“How’s the homework treating you?”

Junmyeon spares a glance to his left, finds Minseok with a huge grin on his face, making Junmyeon’s stomach flip. Junmyeon sighs, half because he can’t get over this crush on his best friend, half because sixth year Potions is harder than he expected. (Not that it was easy to begin with.) “Sucking my soul. I reach till the _end_ , but I mess up at the last or so step.”

Minseok sits next to him on the floor, cackling at Junmyeon’s comment, he crosses his legs, and takes a good look of what Junmyeon’s writing. His eyes narrowing with concentration, and he pushes Junmyeon’s hand away.

He points at a line and says, “Three beans, not twelve.”

Junmyeon curses under his breath, and corrects it. “What would I do without you?”

Minseok chuckles. Junmyeon’s heart grows three sizes bigger. “So dramatic, Junmyeonnie, to be honest, you’d die without me. Although, asking Professor about it might save your life, too. Maybe get some tips? N.E.W.Ts will be harder, and you already struggle enough with Potions.”

“When I have a best friend who is basically a master in Potions,” Junmyeon muses. “I don’t think I’ll require tips from the old man. Although, he would’ve been so less grumpy if his favourite Slytherin was in his class.”

“I want to get into the Department of Magical Transportation, Junmyeon, I don’t _need_ Potions.” Minseok gestures him to continue doing his work. “ _Baekhyun_ has dropped it, who is the actual favourite student, that’s why he’s a grump.”

Junmyeon writes a few words, and stops, trying to think of Baekhyun’s face. He’s a rotten egg in the Department of Remembering Faces. “He’s the Quidditch Caption, right?”

“Yeah,” Minseok nods. “He’s cute.”

Junmyeon’s heart stops for a few seconds. It’s a statement. An affirmation, and Minseok finds people cute only if he’s into them – in a romantic way. Junmyeon tenses a little, jealousy pools in the pit of his stomach. _What about me? Am I not cute?_

Those questions always stay in Junmyeon’s head, Junmyeon _knows_ it’s only a passing cloud - only a crush. He doesn’t want to ruin their friendship just for the sake of something so pointless. Crushes are result of emotions, hormones, and unwanted thinking.

That’s been his equation every time, it’s just not seeming to be pointless this time, but he’ll get over it, he’s sure. Everything ends with similar things, anyway.

“Speaking of Quidditch, Baekhyun’s booked the ground for trials this Sunday,” Minseok informs, dropping his head onto Junmyeon’s shoulder. “When are you planning to conduct the trials?”

Junmyeon grins. “I’ve already booked it on Saturday – there aren’t many people who want to join, but I’ve heard all of them have been flying since they were babies.”

“You don’t get a broom till you’re elven, Junmyeon.”

Junmyeon ignores Minseok’s blank comment. “It’s exciting, being a Captain and all.”

“Don’t get stressed because of it, okay?” Minseok stands up, Junmyeon grabs his robe, looks up at his best friend, pouting. Minseok sighs. “I need sleep, Junmyeon. I can’t fuction with two hours of sleep like you.”

“Help me with the homework, will you?” Junmyeon grunts, writes a word in his book, and his sulk deepens. “I really suck at it.”

“You have the time before and after trials tomorrow, not to mention the whole Sunday. You should go to bed, too.”

Junmyeon sticks his tongue out, telling Minseok that he sticks to a schedule he’s made for himself. He pokes Minseok’s thigh hard enough for the Slytherin to wince, muttering, “I hope you trip in front of Baekhyun, and fall right in front of his feet.”

“ _Merlin_ , I hope so, too,” Minseok grins, teasing. “We can finally start talking non-Quidditch things and end up having babies.”

It's Junmyeon’s turn to wince. “Remind me, _why_ are you my best friend?”

“Dunno,” Minseok waves. “See you tomorrow.”

~*~

Junmyeon holds his broom close, almost hugging it. There are seven people, standing awkwardly in front of him, and their best Chaser, Yixing, is right next to Junmyeon, smiling. Two lanky, tall boys, three medium-height girls, one red haired boy, another pastel blue-haired girl. They are hugging their brooms tight, wearing all the equipments, and looking funny. It takes a toll on Junmyeon to not laugh at the poor kids. He probably looked worse during _his_ trials.

The red haired boy raises his hand. “Do we have to wear this thing during practice?”

“No, don’t worry, kid,” Yixing chuckles. “It’s only during trials, just in case you get hurt.”

The boy nods. Junmyeon asks them to stand in a line. “Tell me, one by one, which field you’re more confident in, we’ll test your skill that way, alright? And even your names, please.”

Everyone nods. They stand, and start saying what they’re confident it. One of the tall boys, Jongin, says he’s more confident in Keeping. The red hair boy, Kyungsoo, says Chaser. Heeyeon, Chaser. Solji, Chaser. Nayeon, Beater. The pastel blue haired girl stutters a little, saying ‘ _Jieun’_ , and shyly adds ‘ _Beater’_.

Another tall boy, who looks very uninterested in introducing himself, looks at Junmyeon for a beat, then says, “Sehun. Seeker.”

“Cute,” He hears Yixing whisper. “Junmyeon, you can stop staring now.”

Junmyeon glares at Yixing, a little embarrassed from getting caught. He decides to lie, “I’m not staring.”

Yixing shrugs. “Sure thing.”

Junmyeon ignores Yixing completely, his face dusted a slight pink as he looks at the new kids, smiling. “Alright, guys, we’ll both see who does the best, and then select, okay?”

All of them chorus an ‘okay’ in reply, enthusiastic about it except for Sehun. Junmyeon has a feeling that this boy does not like Quidditch but he’s still playing for some reason. (Which is highly unlikely, but still.)

Yixing takes the three Chasers to the other side of the ground, while Junmyeon asks the Beaters and the two boys to follow him. They do so silently, without any questions.

“Beaters need to be familiar with their equipments, plus, have the strength to hit,” Junmyeon says once they reach the other end, turning towards them, he smiles. It’s nice to inform them of what’s expected of them during the trials, so they can do their best. “Keepers need to be quick, not in keeping velocity, but for quick reactions. And Seekers require both. Less of strength, of course, but you get my point.”

Jongin pouts a little, while Sehun merely nods. Junmyeon doesn’t understand why he feels a little upset by the lack of reaction, but continues anyway.

“You can go around, maybe warm up?”

All of them nod, get on their brooms, pound their legs, and take off. When they’re in air, their grips are visibly tight, they seem a little nervous. Junmyeon chuckles. He remembers holding on so tight during his trials, it was scary. Thrilling, but mostly scary. They start moving in all directions with typical medium pace, Nayeon is really smooth with her movements, so is Jieun - there is a loud, whiny noise. Jongin is holding onto his broom for his dear life, talking to himself.

“Are you okay, Jongin-ah?”

“I don’t know if I can ba-balance!” Jongin yells. He isn’t much above the ground, Junmyeon takes his own broom and flies up near the poor boy.

“Hold my hand,” He says, “It’s scary in the beginning, but it gets better. How will you be the Keeper if you’re afraid, Jongin?”

Jongin does as he’s told, his grip is bone crushing. He doesn’t reply to the question, but pulls himself closer to Junmyeon, whimpering a little. Junmyeon is guilty of thinking that’s cute.

Junmyeon shakes their hand a little. “Push yourself up. Sit up, like you do on a normal chair. Just don’t let your hands leave your broom, okay?”

“Yeah,” Jongin sits up, leaving Junmyeon’s hand, which immediately is placed on his broom. “It’s a new broom, I haven’t adjusted yet. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. You think you can get a hold of this?” Junmyeon looks at Nayeon and Jieun, they’re chatting animatedly. Nayeon is swinging her bat, while Jieun is resting her chin on the bat’s handle. He looks at Jongin, smiling, “I’ll come back to you in a minute.”

Flying to the girls, he asks how they’re doing so far.

“We didn’t even do anything,” Jieun mutters. “Can we use one of the Buldgers?”

Nayeon agrees, beaming, eyes wide with excitement. He lets the girls use one of the Buldgers (albeit very reluctantly), he watches them hit it a couple of times, and when he’s convinced that they can do a good job keeping it away, Junmyeon leaves.

He takes a good look at the ground, the Chasers are swishing here to there, Jongin seems to be getting comfortable with his broom, but Sehun is nowhere to be found.

 _Maybe he left_ , Junmyeon thinks, and avoids the stone sinking into his stomach.

“Are you done, Captain?”

Junmyeon looks up, Sehun is flying high in the air, jaw tight. His hair is blown by the wind, and Junmyeon thinks he looks beautiful like that – wind caressing his face, pale pink lips tugged into a tiny pout, with slow but obvious blinking. He gestures Sehun to come lower. Sehun stays right in front of Junmyeon, an arm distance away and repeats the question.

“Seeker, huh?” It’s more of a question to himself, but he takes a look at Sehun’s position on his broom. “Which year are you?”

“Fourth,” Sehun replies. “You?”

Junmyeon bites his inner cheek a little. “Sixth. All right, now show me something.”

Sehun stares at him for a moment, maybe he didn’t understand what ‘something’ meant, Junmyeon is about to tell him when he swishes towards the goal post, nearly knocking Junmyeon off his broom. Junmyeon takes out his watch, and looks at the time. It’s fifteen past ten. Sehun reaches the goal post, circles it twice, then returns. He slips a little when he stops, but his grip on his broom is obviously tight enough to prevent his fall. Junmyeon checks the watch. Twenty one past ten.

“Impressive,” He says. “I’ve seen faster, though.”

Sehun doesn’t say anything. Junmyeon continues. “When you stopped, you almost fell. Could’ve broken your face.”

“But-”

“I’m talking,” Junmyeon feels bad for being so strict with Sehun. With only small areas of improvement, people can get lazy. Junmyeon hates lazy. “You also nearly knocked me off the broom when you started.”

Sehun is simply staring at him, a deep frown on his face.

“You’re fast, sure, that doesn’t mean you can catch the Snitch – it’s faster than you think.”

Junmyeon takes a look at the whole ground again, Yixing and the others are moving towards him, it seems like they’re done. Junmyeon moves towards them, and calls the girls along with Jongin, all of them - rather enthusiastically - come to him. Yixing whispers that Heeyeon is much better than the rest, Junmyeon nods, and mentions both Nayeon and Jieun are good, except they need more practice.

“Jongin?” Yixing’s expression becomes teasing. “Sehun?”

Junmyeon ignores his face. “Jongin is good, Sehun’s a little clumsy.”

“Sure thing,” Yixing nudges him, chuckling. “God, you’re so obvious.”

They make everyone play a small game without the Snitch, Yixing and Junmyeon discuss about the players while they play. Two hours later, when everyone is happy about getting to play, even if it’s unofficially, Yixing whispers he needs to leave soon.

“Got a date?” Junmyeon teases, “Is it the girl from Potions class?”

Yixing chuckles. “No, no. She’s lovely, no offence, but, you know in the Herbology last year? She got seventy points in one class?”

“Mina... something, right?”

“Yeah, her. Let’s wrap this up soon.”

Finally they decide: Jieun, Nayeon, and Heeyeon are in the group. Sehun and Kyungsoo need a separate trial. It’s hard to focus on everyone when is flying everywhere very quickly – that’s what Junmyeon says, at least.

Yixing scoffs, “You didn’t take your eyes off Sehun, Junmyeon.”

He wasn’t. He wasn’t staring at Sehun and how nice his fluff of hair looks when he moves. He was looking at everyone, he even caught the slight part where Jongin nearly fell off his broom, then pretended to be fine.

“Jongin squeaked but, whatever,” Yixing says. “You think out loud, sometimes, you know? I have a date to catch, anyway, bye.”

All of them get on the ground, and they bid goodbye to Yixing, who leaves with a wave. He’s all giddy about this date he has with Mina-something, he must really like her. Junmyeon tells Jieun, Nayeon, and Heeyeon they’re in the team, the girls cheer loudly, and ask if they can leave. Junmyeon nods at them.

“Jonginie, you’re really good,” Jongin has these sad puppy eyes, Junmyeon feels his heart breaking. “But, we already have a Keeper – next year, when I resign, you’ll be the Keeper, okay? Just not this year.”

Jongin pouts, but nods his head. He doesn’t seem like he will cry later in his bedroom, which is a huge relief. He looks at Sehun and Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo looks a little nervous, but Sehun is... expressionless.

“You were both really nice, I swear,” He looks at Jongin. “You can leave if you want, Jonginie.”

Jongin waves his hand dismissively. “I wanna know if my boyfriend is in the team, at least.”

Junmyeon doesn’t understand why he feels his stomach is filled with heavy stones, (not because  Jongin’s eyes are on Sehun) he ignores them, though. He nods, then looks back at both of them.

“You’ll both have a separate trial, next week. It’s just to check some things, and the old members will be there, too.”

Kyungsoo groans. “Oh, great. That helps _so_ much, I’m not gonna be a nervous wreck.”

“You don’t need to worry!” Junmyeon holds Kyungsoo’s shoulders. “They’re all sweethearts, and really nice, you don’t have anything to worry about!”

“Okay,” Sehun snaps. “Can we go now?”

Junmyeon nods. He feels an odd sense of relief when Jongin’s arms go around Kyungsoo’s shoulder and he presses a kiss on Kyungsoo’s temple. He also feels an odd want to hold Sehun’s waist, it looks nice to hold from here. ( _Maybe it actually is_ , his mind whispers.)

~*~

“He’s got a crush!” Yixing chirps. “He’s got a cute crush, Chanyeol!”

Chanyeol lies next to Junmyeon on the grass, and chuckles. God, Chanyeol’s always so cute. “Do you, really?”

“He’s babbling,” Junmyeon mutters. “It’s him who’s got the crush on Mina from Herbology last year.”

“Me _and_ him,” Yixing laughs. “He had heart-eyes on that guy.”

Junmyeon just groans, it’s pointless to argue with Yixing, he always has proper facts to prove his ‘rightness’ (Junmyeon has given up on telling him it’s not a word). Chanyeol chuckles again, and presses a soft kiss on Junmyeon’s forehead. He’s the only one whose kiss doesn’t disgust Junmyeon, he just rolls his eyes, smiling, and snuggles up against the taller boy, he’s really warm. It’s not gross with Chanyeol, for some reason, it’s always a little gross with his other friends.

“It’s not Sehun, I promise,” Junmyeon whispers, Yixing is distracted by his book, but he prefers it being a secret. “It’s on Minseok.”

“Minnie, is it,” Chanyeol picks at the grass near him, it’s his dumb habit which Junmyeon likes, a lot. “He just asked out Baekhyun, though. Said he’ll tell you during lunch, he was working on his Transfiguration homework.”

“Betrayer! He always tells me stuff first.”

Chanyeol’s smile fades. His shoulders tense, Junmyeon can feel a weak muscle tense next to his hand. Junmyeon frowns, too. Chanyeol scrunches his nose. “You’re not telling him, either, are you?”

“It’s pointless, as always,” Junmyeon waves his hands dismissively. “Confess, get rejected, heartbreak, get over it after a month of moping with something I have, ruin friendship... It’s all not worth it, you know? Repeat the cycle till I marry someone. I’d rather not.”

“Crushes are supposed to be special, Junmyeonie, why do you always ruin it for yourself? You could end up marrying Minseok sooner or later, you know?”

Yixing’s voice is a little concerned, Junmyeon nearly straight up lies to him, except Yixing is a really nice friend and it wouldn’t be worth it. Many things aren’t, actually. Like confessing. Potions are totally worth it, though. Junmyeon shrugs and turns toward Yixing, who is still reading his book. He nestles his head near Yixing’s thigh, and closes his eyes. “I don’t want to marry him, that’s the point. I just... like the idea of holding hands with him, kissing him, holding him, maybe even jerk him off when he’s in the mood.”

“He means it, literally,” Chanyeol laughs, probably because of Yixing’s face. “That’s all we did when we were dating. It was nice though.”

Chanyeol is the only person Junmyeon ever had the guts to confess to, maybe because Chanyeol yelled in the hallway if anyone even had crush on him and that he was very lonely, he was frustrated by his friends getting into relationships and his loneliness. Junmyeon was a bit... odd, he confessed to Chanyeol during dinner. They made out in the Slytherin common room once everyone went to bed, they even dated for a while – until Junmyeon thought it as waste of time, he got frustrated by the amount of work which accumulated. And also knowing how they were in similar terms, and-

Yixing scoffs at that. “You’re boring, Junmyeonie.”

“I’m aware,” Junmyeon sighs. Crushes are hard to deal with. He isn’t sure if he’ll ever get over Minseok, considering their closeness. “We have another round of trials next weekend, by the way. I’ll ask Professor to book the ground for both days.”

Chanyeol hums, while Yixing whines about not having a Rest Day to read the books he’s brought. Junmyeon looks at Chanyeol, warmth spreading in his chest when the taller boy leans closer and smiles warmly – it used to give his stomach tickles from inside.

Something moves next to him, Junmyeon nearly yells when a heavy weight is dropped on his stomach. He looks down and flicks Minseok’s forehead, his stomach flipping upside down. “Welcome back, Betrayer.”

“You already told him, didn’t you?” Minseok groans when Chanyeol shrugs.

Junmyeon starts telling both of his best friends about the trials, how everyone flew, who he liked the best, how much time he thinks they’ll take to be nearly as perfect as the International Players. He babbles for nearly half an hour, and when his throat goes dry from talking, he stops, and shifts his hand into Minseok’s hair, combing it.

His younger sister says that’s something only girls do, but it’s so satisfying, Junmyeon can’t care about being called a girl. It’s satisfying, so much so that he feels sleep surfacing, the sun is bright, trees are stopping the rays, but not the warmth of sun.

Yixing giggles loudly, “Isn’t he adorable when he’s got a crush?”

Junmyeon rolls his eyes. He looks at Chanyeol and Minseok, who are smiling widely. Minseok’s smile wide, all gums and teeth, eyes small. Chanyeol’s smile is wider (if that’s possible), and Junmyeon is suddenly glad to have best friends like them.

“You babbled so much,” Minseok teases, “You’ve said Sehun about, what, eleven times?”

Chanyeol lifts his fist and three fingers up. “Thirteen, excluding one because you were saying their names.”

“Why am I being attacked today?” Junmyeon drawls, dramatically dragging his free hand down his face. “What is my crime? Talking about Quidditch?”

All three scoff. Junmyeon whines some more before he realizes he needs to start his Potions homework again, tells himself that he’ll finish it before any other subject, but forgets to add it in his planner.

~*~

Liyin keeps her arms around Junmyeon’s waist, she’s very soft, Junmyeon can’t bring himself to tell her to stop. Stop because Sehun is staring, and Junmyeon’s ears are burning for some reason, her hair might catch the fire – she’s got thick, slightly rough, long hair, Junmyeon likes playing with it while helping her with Potions. He suddenly misses braiding his sister’s hair.

“You guys are cute together,” Nayeon giggles, other girls join her.

“We aren’t together!” Liyin chuckles, her hands shift to Junmyeon’s shoulders. “I have a girlfriend.”

All the girls giggle again. Junmyeon doesn’t understand why they giggle so much, but it’s endearing somehow. Liyin latches onto another guy who shows up out of blue, Junmyeon feels the cold wind caress his back. He glances at Sehun, he’s wearing a woollen sweater, he’s probably warmer than Liyin.

“Junmyeon-ah, this is Yifan, my brother,” She pulls Yifan forward, tugging onto his arm. “Yifan, this is Junmyeon! He helps me in Potions while braiding my hair.”

Yifan stands awkwardly, he’s tall – taller than Sehun, and extends his hand, sticking his other hand into his robe’s pocket. “Yifan Wu, nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Junmyeon shakes his hand. _That’s one humongous hand_. “Junmyeon.”

They have a small talk before Junmyeon calls all the Ravenclaws near him, telling his teammates and new members what they’ll be doing today: Test, practice, and a small match. It’s mandatory for them to have at least one game during their training, that’s how the old members got better, anyway.

“Let’s start with you, Kyungsoo,” Yixing smiles.

Kyungsoo smiles, clearly nervous, glancing at the older members. Junmyeon notices the cold look Luhan is giving him. Junmyeon walks over to him, and nudges with his elbow. “Quit it, you’re scaring him.”

Luhan pouts. “You’re no fun!”

Junmyeon raises his eyebrow.

“I’m sorry,” Luhan mutters, his pout deepening. “Kyung... Soo?”

“Uh, it’s okay, I guess.” Kyungsoo holds his broom tightly and flies up in the air.

“Nayeon and Heeyeon, can you both accompany him?” The girls nod and fly up in the air, waiting next to Kyungsoo. “Lu, Yixing, and Jieun will go against you, okay?”

Once all six are in air, Junmyeon opens the box, takes the Quaffle out, and throws it high enough for Yixing to catch. They hurry to stop him. It’s about an hour of going back and forth, Junmyeon snaps his neck a little too quick, and yelps in pain. Bad idea, Junmyeon thinks, presses three fingers against the muscle, continues watching the  six players while massaging the spot. Kyungsoo gets the Quaffle many times, he nearly drops it in the beginning, he improves so quick, though, it’s hard to cling onto his mistakes.

It’s a sunny day, which makes it hard all together to keep looking up at the sky, Junmyeon squints at the players, stares at the rain-cleaned grass (it rained three days straight this week), then looks back up at them. Half of the game is just craning his neck back and forth, and trying not to whine about how much it will probably hurt an hour or so later.

“You’ll hurt your neck,”

Junmyeon doesn’t have an excuse for the tickles in his stomach, he looks at Sehun, squinting, he places his hand onto his forehead, and stares at the taller boy.

“Maybe we should sit in the stands, it has shade, too.”

Liyin agrees with a noise, she starts trudging towards the Ravenclaw stands, and everyone else follows. Junmyeon stares at them till he feels a tug on his forearm. It’s a large (not bigger than Chanyeol’s), pale, bony hand. There are four tiny dandelions on the drug box.

“Let’s go,” Sehun says. Junmyeon swears there is a small smile on his face. “Captain.”

Junmyeon starts walking, his neck twitching to turn, look at the dandelions, maybe hold his bony hands and trace their outline- with scented candles in the Prefect bathroom, tangled limbs and all. Maybe some slow dance songs will help in making the scene nicer, a bonus if there’s some movie-like kisses, tender, passionate but not enough to have sex there. (Moaning Myrtle wouldn’t let him live if she walked in on that – she still whispers about him and Chanyeol’s make outs.)

“Someone’s dreamy,” Liyin pokes his arm, hard. “Who ya’ thinking about, Junnie?”

Junmyeon glares at her, which fades quickly when Liyin laughs and hides behind Yifan. She’s so much like his sister, Junmyeon realizes, Joeun always does something stupid, runs behind him, and pushes him into facing the consequences. As annoying as she can be, Junmyeon is very protective of her, the innumerable bruises till he was thirteen are proof, he supposes (some on his back are permanent, it makes him feel like a hero, if he’s being honest).

“No one,” He smiles when Yifan mouths an apology instead of her. There is something which flips in Junmyeon’s stomach. There is a tug on his arm, Junmyeon looks at Sehun, who is sort of glaring at him.

“What,” Junmyeon glares back. “I can’t talk to people?”

Sehun shrugs. “You were supposed to watch Kyungsoo-hyung.”

 _I’m older than him, too,_ Junmyeon thinks, staring at Sehun’s face. He’s stare-worthy. “I’m elder, never heard you calling me hyung.”

“We met a week ago,” He covers his mouth and chuckles. “ _Hyung_.”

Junmyeon feels like he’s supposed to do a victory dance, decides against it because, well, there is really nothing to celebrate here (despite the feeling of victory). He just winks at Sehun, and goes back to watching the game.

~*~

After about two weeks of second trials, there’s been nothing but tests and homeworks to do, which are the ‘breaks’ from reading those textbooks, trying to understand where he went wrong in that day’s Potions, and it’s been everything about academics. Junmyeon is sure he has lost the bare minimum social life he built up till fifth year. He’s improved in Potions, sure, the professor helped him out a lot, but he’s so tired, he wants to nap the whole day, without touching his textbooks or whatever.

Junmyeon sinks further into the warm water, sighing. He closes his eyes, telling Moaning Myrtle to leave him alone for a while was a great idea, he can-

“I haven’t seen you in, what, three years?”

Junmyeon groans, sinking further so his mouth is in the water. He feels Chanyeol’s presence right behind him, his long, chicken legs enter the water, Junmyeon understands that there is no escape. He sits up properly, letting Chanyeol’s arm wrap around him, he pretends to be annoyed Chanyeol’s kiss on his wet hair.

“I was going to masturbate,” Junmyeon jokes, “you’re such a disturbance.”

Chanyeol gags. “Minimum shame is what I ask for.”

“Plan’s ruined anyway,” He shrugs, and returns a soft peck on Chanyeol’s shoulder. He’s gotten a little fat which covers his well-defined biceps, it’s adorable. “How is sixth year treating you?”

“Average, I suppose,” Chanyeol starts rubbing the soap between his hands. “But, I’ve heard things about you and Sehun. In hallways.”

“We just wave at each other,” Junmyeon shoots his best friend a pointed look. “Why are you bringing him up? You were supposed to whine about Divination classes and how less you understand.”

“One, I actually understand this year.” Chanyeol’s glare fades into a smile. “Two, he never waves at anyone in the hallways, except for his friends. And you guys talked only twice from what I know.”

Junmyeon raises his eyebrow. He does feel special, but where the hell is Chanyeol going with this?

“And he, according to Jongin, is very cheery after that,” Chanyeol clears his throat, pinching his neck. “I quote, ‘an ass like him turning into a cuddly bear is suspicious.’”

“I’m really bad at guessing games, Chanyeol.” Junmyeon deadpans, “Just get to the point.”

It makes Chanyeol chuckle, he squeezes Junmyeon’s shoulders affectionately, his chuckle vibrates through his chest and moves to Junmyeon’s shoulders, fading with tingles. It tugs Junmyeon’s lips up so much he ends up giggling a little. After a few moments, Chanyeol loosens his grip around Junmyeon’s shoulders, and starts rubbing the soap foam all over his body.

“I’m ninety-percent sure Sehun likes you.”

“Huh?” Is all Junmyeon can reply. Sehun likes him?

“You’re going to do something about it, Junmyeonnie?”

Junmyeon finally looks at Chanyeol, he has a worried look despite the small smile, assuring him that he can take his time. Junmyeon lets out the breath he didn’t know he was holding, and leans his head against Chanyeol’s soapy shoulder. “Do I frankly tell him I don’t feel the same way?”

Chanyeol swats his head away with a gasp, eyes widening comically. “Why would you do that?”

“Because... I don’t feel the same way?”

It comes out as a question, and now Junmyeon isn’t completely sure if he actually likes Sehun as an _acquaintance_ or not. Sure, he’s adorable, his lisp while speaking English with non-Korean folks is very endearing, his tattoo is really cool, he seems to be a very cuddly person, and he looks like Greek God when he wears casual clothes with his circle glasses. Plus, Sehun’s hands are much bigger than his, but they’re so holdable Junmyeon has a strong urge to hold it every time he sees them. Does not mean he likes Sehun, though.

“No,” Junmyeon says, coming to a conclusion. “I don’t think I feel the same way.”

“Tell me why.”

Junmyeon groans. “Long, long list, I don’t wanna.”

“Alright,” Chanyeol holds his fist up. “Only top five.”

“’Why I don’t like him’ top five?”

Chanyeol nods.

“Alright, get ready.” Junmyeon takes a deep breath, just for the sake of dramatic effect. “One, he’s bad at Potions like me but makes more effort than me. Two, he does this cute wave with his hands, all his fingers like alternatively move and-”

 _Oh_. Now, Chanyeol’s information is very useful.

“I like him, don’t I?” Junmyeon sighs, “Why do I never notice it?”

Chanyeol laughs. “You never do till someone asks you to talk about them alone. That’s why I’m here, aren’t I? Congratulations, though, you can help Minnie pick out his outfit for his date on Saturday.”

Junmyeon sighs out a _yeah_ in reply, his chest is suddenly heavy with the new information, but also relieved about not having to face such soul-crushing moment with Minseok. He really enjoys dressing people up, he couldn’t miss such chances. Now, though, he either avoids Sehun completely till his stupid crush leaves his system, or be normal and end up falling in love, and suffer every time he is with Sehun. Neither are very pleasing thoughts, if he’s being honest. He has this option of dating Sehun, but they aren’t going to marry, or last longer than a month, Junmyeon really wants to save himself the heartbreak.

“You don’t know what to do about it, do you?” Chanyeol is getting out of the bath. How long has he been in here, again? “It’s been half of an hour, Junmyeon, get up and get dressed.”

“Yessir,” Junmyeon whispers, and finishes his bath in ten minutes. Thank God it’s night - other Prefects and Captains would’ve been furious if he sat there for thirty whole minutes and hadn’t finished his bath, and he’d hear a lot about it for a week, everyday, without an exception of any Prefects, or Heads, or Captains. Minseok says he takes longer baths than the Head Girl, but Junmyeon always denies till he’s actually experienced it. (Turns out, he does take longer baths than the Head Girl.)

Almost an hour later, Junmyeon is a little confused about how he ended up in bed, with Chanyeol kissing his forehead as a good night.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Chanyeol says, he walks backwards till the door, then playfully salutes. “I’ll take my leave.”

Junmyeon sits right up once Chanyeol’s gone, and sighs. He still has his Transfiguration homework to do, along with two more he can’t remember at the moment. He drags himself out of bed, also drags himself into the common room, and finds Minseok and Chanyeol talking animatedly with Luhan on the couch.

Chanyeol notices him and frowns. “Go to bed, Junmyeon.”

“I have homework,” Junmyeon whines. “I’ll go to bed after finishing that, there are only three left!”

Minseok also frowns, raises his eyebrow. “How much sleep did you get the whole week?”

“Six hours everyday,” Junmyeon lies. It’s been only four or three, but he’s taken plenty naps to prove himself correct. “C’mon guys, I want to hangout the whole day tomorrow.”

“You can join me in studying.”

Junmyeon turns his neck a little too fast, and ends up seeing Oh Sehun slowly shift his gaze on Junmyeon. It makes his cheeks burn, Sehun looks cozy with his hair fluffy, his glasses make him look seven times cuter, and Junmyeon’s heart grows suspiciously too big for his tiny chest. Sehun smiles a little (Junmyeon dumbly returns it), and points at his parchment. “I also need help in Potions.”

It feels like every low-budget movie he’s watched when Sehun raises his eyebrow, waiting for him to answer. Minseok, Luhan, and Chanyeol’s eyes on him are heavy, too, like they know what’s going on his head (Minseok and Chanyeol probably do). Junmyeon nods, unsure if he’ll squeak or speak normally, and walks down to join his three friends. Minseok slides a little closer to Luhan, and Chanyeol shifts onto the couch’s arm rest to accommodate Junmyeon.

“You didn’t chicken out,” Luhan comments, smirking at Junmyeon. “I’m proud of you, Junmyeon.”

Chanyeol laughs. “I know, I’m proud of Chicken, too!”

“I’m not a chicken!”Junmyeon whines, leaning onto Minseok, he points at Chanyeol. It’s fun acting like a kid, he pouts deep, making his voice high-pitched. “Bullies!”

He drops his hand when he realizes Sehun is in the room, very conscious of his act. He’s only childish in front of people he’s comfortable, and despite his crush, he isn’t sure if he’s okay with being a complete weirdo in front of Sehun. His friends’ laughter is nothing over the worried screams of his mind, he feels sweat trickle down his face, his hands tremble a little, he isn’t sure if he’s breathing. His aunt’s bruised face flashes in his mind, her boyfriend’s words ring in his ears, and everything worsens.

“Hey,” It’s Minseok’s voice, or Luhan’s, Junmyeon really can’t tell. “It’s okay, nothing happened.”

“Nobody’s here,” Another voice says, a little clearer, it’s probably Luhan. “Whatever you’re thinking isn’t happening, or going to happen.”

 _It’d be better if I thought of something other than her_ , Junmyeon thinks, _focus, focus, focus_.

Something warm wraps around his hands, it’s larger, and it’s probably Chanyeol’s hands. There are two more pair of arms around him, and he feels safe. Safe like he’s with his mother, his head on her chest, her nice voice singing a lullaby she used to sing him and his sister to sleep. Without abusive words echoing his room, or slapping, or cries of his aunt. He sighs.

“I-I don’t know...” He sighs again, there’s a heavy stone on his chest. “I don’t know what happened. I just freaked out a little too much?”

Freaking out. That’s much more _normal_ than anxiety attack. He never has anxiety attacks, at least that’s what his younger self has been convincing him till now. Chanyeol’s face comes in front of him, he looks so worried, Junmyeon feels guilty for having a stupid panic attack about something so _insignificant_. “It’s okay, don’t beat yourself up, even I freak out about some things.”

“I’m sorry.” He isn’t sure what he’s sorry for, he just is. Really, really sorry.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Minseok replaces Chanyeol, cupping Junmyeon’s cheeks and squeezing them. “You gotta help me pick out an outfit for my date tomorrow.”

Junmyeon smiles, muttering a thanks under his breath. It’s easier to let it go when the subject’s changed.

“Underwear,” Luhan chimes. “You look great in it, really sexy, I gotta say.”

Junmyeon laughs, covering his mouth. “DC underwear!”

“Batman underwear!” Chanyeol wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. “Tell your lover boy about the DC Batman, and make him fall for you.”

Minseok’s judging look makes everything funnier, and Junmyeon’s stomach is hurting from laughing so much. Junmyeon remembers Sehun is still in the room, probably waiting for him (or judging him from afar), and looks at the desk. Sehun is hunched over the desk, there are several books open, and he’s writing away in the parchment. Maybe he didn’t listen to everything he’s said, or to anything. It calms him a little. It's never comfortable after a few moments of freaking out, but Junmyeon’s learnt to forget about it.

“I’ll finish my work,” Junmyeon announces. “If I don’t oversleep, I think you should be ready two minutes before your date.”

“You sound like a fashion major,” Luhan makes a face. “Except with a terrible fashion sense.”

Junmyeon sticks his tongue out. “Sucks to be a fashion senseless person, eh?”

He walks away with Luhan complaining, and stands next to Sehun. He’s scribbling something seriously onto the parchment, it’s Transfiguration, Junmyeon pities the poor boy. It’s something he’s good at, but only when he pays attention – given the small attention lifespan he has, no wonder _Outstanding_ in his O.W.L was a surprise to Minseok.

Sehun looks up at him – there is a pout on his lips, Junmyeon is sure if he stares a little more, Sehun can take the hint and kiss him. He hopes at least, except staring is not for now. He raises his eyebrow. “What’s up with the pout?”

“It’s the boring part of the essay,” Sehun sighs. “Where’s Motivative Jongin when you need him?”

“Sleeping, probably.”

Sehun chuckles. “Or making out with his boyfriend.”

“I’ll go with that,” Junmyeon laughs. “I’ll get my stuff.”

It takes a few moments for Junmyeon to settle with his things, and a few more minutes to realize Sehun is talking to him. They’re talking, all while working on their homeworks/assignments, and Junmyeon is so calm about all of it. His uncomfortable stomach is back being normal again, too. They’re speaking of Quidditch when he realizes Sehun is shifting on the ground with his parchment, ink, and books, right in front of him, eyes wide, nearly sparkling from excitement of the upcoming match between Slytherin and Hufflepuff. He’s talking animatedly about how much he admires Hufflepuff’s Keeper (she’s been on the team since second year, Junmyeon cannot say he’s not a little jealous of how closely Sehun’s watched her), and Junmyeon just nods along with it. Focusing more on his work.

Sehun is adorable talking about it, he keeps using his hands instead of saying how fast someone is, or to explain anything, sometimes. _Cute_ , Junmyeon thinks. And doesn’t realize he’s actually leaning in until Sehun has stopped his talking.

“Um,” Sehun visibly gulps. “Hyung-”

“I’m sorry.” It was dumb idea to even join him in studying, or doing anything. When did he become so dumb? When he has a crush, he avoids! He does not agree to hangout, or even act so carefree around them, he’s supposed to act like he can’t speak. He’s trying to gather up his books but they’re way too many all of sudden, he feels tears sting and dear Lord, this is the most embarrassing thing he’s ever had to face.

The books aren’t getting any less, they’re just falling out of his hands, and Junmyeon isn’t even sure how in the world he passed his first year, became a Keeper, let alone passed his O.W.Ls, and thought he could be a Healer. He’s too dumb to become a Healer. He’s supposed to be fast, too, god damn it, and very stable to catch the Quaffle, he should quit tomorrow-

There is warm embrace, warm arms around him, it makes him feel secure, and Junmyeon breaks down. He sobs hard into the offered arms – everything is pulling him down and he just wants to run away, never return, stay with his mother. There is something soft against his neck, there are incoherent words being mumbled into his ear, but he cannot stop sobbing. Everything is a little blurry because of his tears.

Once the embrace breaks, Junmyeon realizes it’s Sehun, and that does not help.

“I’m really sorry,” Junmyeon’s words spill out faster than coherent speech. “I’m really sorry, I don’t know what got into me. Can you forget I did that? I understand you’re uncomfortable, I’m quitting the position tomorrow, you don’t need to worry about the game, I promise-”

“Woah, hyung, calm down.”

 _Calm down_ is an easy thing to say, except people who say that have never been on the other side that phrase. _Calm down_ is the worst phrase ever, it shouldn’t even exist. Junmyeon just stares at his lap, hiding his annoyance, and also the urge to disappear.

“I just wanted to tell you something before we, you know,” Sehun grabs Junmyeon’s hands. Junmyeon snatches them back. He’s not comfortable with that right now. “I’m sorry, I- I made you uncomfortable. I’ll leave.”

“No!” Wow, his voice is not like a dying chicken. That’s surprising. “No, wait, we can talk. Just, no physical contact, or whatever.”

Sehun sighs. “Are you sure? We can talk when you’re more comfortable and I’m less ill-mannered, also very not instinctive.”

“You aren’t rude,” Junmyeon whispers. “I’m just... weird like that.”

“You aren’t weird. You’re just... better than others, and also these over-the-edge emotions? They make me want to runaway.”

They sit down, with a good one and a half meters between them, and Junmyeon finally looks at Sehun. His eyes are puffy, like he cried, too. And it breaks Junmyeon’s heart a little. Poor baby.

“I, um, I like you a lot,” Sehun breaths out. “A lot. I mean, _really_ a lot.”

Junmyeon gulps. His heart is racing fast again. “I like you, too.”

“Oh.” Sehun stares at him for a while. Then looks down, his cheeks tinge pink. “Wow, um, that saves a lot of embarrassment and heartbreak after rejection, huh?”

Junmyeon feels warmth spread from his left ear to right, his neck burning. “I suppose it does.”

“Can I kiss you, hyung?”

Junmyeon’s face is on fire. He shakes his head, taking his books slowly. He really needs a good nap. “Not right now.”

“Okay, will you go to bed? I’m almost done with my essay.”

Junmyeon carefully piles his things into his arms, and nods, smiling at Sehun tiredly. “Yeah, it’s been a tiring day. I’ll see you tomorrow, Sehunnie.”

“Okay, hyung. Sleep tight, don’t let Magical Bugs bite.”

Junmyeon falls asleep giggling.

~*~

“It looks great, Minnie, I promise.”

Minseok looks at his shoes, pouting. He thinks they don’t match well with his outfit, and Junmyeon’s _this_ close to telling Minseok that Baekhyun would like him in the ugliest pair of pants. Minseok is generally very attractive, and nobody can deny that. (If anybody does, Junmyeon will take all of their clothes, ask Luhan to sew _all_ of it together and make a fluffy blanket for Minseok.)

“Do I look manly enough?”

Junmyeon nods.

“Does it also look like I’m trying to say ‘hey, you’re _bangable_ against the wall cute’?”

Junmyeon throws the fattest book he can find at Minseok. There is an echo when it falls, and there are a few steps hurrying into the room. It’s Baekhyun, Sehun, and Dowoon (one of Slytherin’s Chaser). Baekhyun looks very worried, and he’s looking past Minseok. Sehun looks very handsome in jeans and baby blue t-shirt. Dowoon is frantically looking at both of them with a worried expression.

“Is everything okay?” Dowoon asks. “We heard something fall.”

Sehun walks over to Junmyeon – he walks like the place is a runway. And looks at Minseok. “You look great, Minseok-hyung.”

“None of my books fell,” Baekhyun slumps against the door frame. “Oh thank God, I was worried for a minute.”

Minseok holds his forefinger up. “One, yes Dowoon, everything’s alright, don’t worry. Two, thank you, Sehun. Three, I must say, Baekhyun-ah, you either keep forgetting where you keep your books, or you just want to be dramatic.”

Baekhyun giggles. “I fancy some dramatic reactions for myself, thank you.”

Dowoon looks at Baekhyun with an unamused expression, and leaves without a word. Baekhyun walks over to Minseok, and gets flustered when Minseok leans a little too close. Junmyeon laughs. Typical Minseok.

“How are you feeling today, hyung?”

Junmyeon looks away from Minseok flustering Baekhyun (who is trying _very_ hard to play it cool), and looks at Sehun with a fond smile. “I’m better, I suppose. You?”

“Better, too.”

There is a loud squeak from Baekhyun. Junmyeon looks at him, and finds Minseok smirking at a very pink Baekhyun, whose hand is in Minseok’s hand, and it looks like Minseok gave his hand a kiss. Junmyeon makes a disgusted look. “You guys should go romance somewhere else.”

Minseok glares at him. Junmyeon gulps.

“On second thought, _we_ should leave.”

Junmyeon grabs Sehun’s hand and tugs him out of Slytherin’s Common Room, and they head out into the corridors aimlessly. Junmyeon could walk in the hallways forever and not be tired, but Sehun is with him, he needs to consider his thoughts in roaming like that, too.

“So,” Junmyeon stops in his tracks, and leans against the nearest wall, pressing his right sole against the wall. “Do you want to go somewhere?”

“We could hangout with your friends, or with my friends,” Sehun tilts his head up a little. “Or just go somewhere quiet and take a nap.”

“Or,” Junmyeon grins. “We could watch Hufflepuff prepare for Saturday’s match against Slytherin.”

“But we’re not supposed to-”

Junmyeon is already moving towards the pitch, excited to watch his friends practice. “Sooyoung’s an old friend, she wouldn’t mind!”

Turns out she _does_ mind. Sooyoung is terribly stressed, for some reason, and she thrusts the broom against Junmyeon’s arm. She yells at him when he pats her back, groans about his disturbance, saying something about not having enough time to practice. Junmyeon pouts at her, which only makes her more angry. She nearly screams, and Junmyeon throws his arms up in defence, hugging her a goodbye. Hopefully, she’ll still share the Christmas candies her mother makes.

They decide to go near the lake, expecting Yixing to be sitting there, reading something. Junmyeon notices Sehun’s hands when they cross the Potions Class, and how big they are compared to his, and how warm they were last night against his back, and how much he wants to hold them right now. He _really_ wants to hold Sehun’s hand(s) right now.

“Hey, Sehunnie,” Junmyeon overtakes Sehun, and starts walking backwards. “Can I hold you hand?”

“Would it be okay if it’s plural?”

Junmyeon smiles widely, and takes Sehun’s hands, still walking backwards. “If I fall, I’m blaming it on you.”

“If I let you fall,” Sehun’s smile is brighter than the Sun. “I cross my heart and I hope to die.”

Only physically, though, Junmyeon thinks. _Metaphorically, though, I strongly suggest I’ll fall. For you_. Junmyeon realizes how much of a cheesy person he is.

“Junmyeon!”

They stop walking, snatch their hands away, and Junmyeon turns around, finds Heeyeon jogging towards them. She seems to be crying – or she cried, her hair gets pushed back from her speed – Junmyeon thinks she probably does modeling during summer breaks. She bends, leans her hands against her knees, panting a little.

“Okay, so, wait,” Straightening her back, she smiles (it’s clearly forced). “I can’t attend our first match against Gryffindor, I’m really sorry, it’s- it’s a personal problem, I can’t tell you. I’ve informed Professor about it, though.”

Junmyeon nods. He’ll have to ask Minhyuk or Luhan to replace her. “That’s okay. But you can’t keep missing every match. Whatever that is, I hope everything will be okay for you soon, Heeyeon-ah.”

“Thanks. Bye!” She jogs away in hurry. Junmyeon looks at Sehun, who is very confused. Junmyeon holds Sehun’s big, warm hands and tugs, wiggling his eyebrows in question.

“You can do that? I mean, changing players for matches?”

Junmyeon shakes his head. “It’s never happened before, I don’t know. If we talk to Madam Referee about it, she’ll allow it.”

He looks at Sehun, who is staring at him with a strange look. Junmyeon is sure it’s about Madam Referee, but he throws his hands up in air, still holding Sehun’s. “What?”

“Madam Referee?”

“It’s a nickname!” Junmyeon laughs when Sehun looks very _done_ with his existence, he leans in a little, keeping their hands in the air. “We’ve been using that since first year! I can’t change it now.”

They start walking again, Junmyeon holds Sehun’s one hand, and keeps pulling him as they go. Junmyeon’s first option for substitute is Luhan, mostly because Minhyuk said he wanted better grades in his N.E.W.Ts, it’ll be harder to convince him. (He doesn’t even need to ask Minhyuk later, Luhan is very much happy to play another last game.)

~*~

Junmyeon groans again, he’s supposed to be resting, they have a match tomorrow, and he’s the Captain. He is not supposed to be sitting with Chanyeol, in the Slytherin Common Room, with his clock showing one in the morning. Chanyeol is very comfortable on Junmyeon’s shoulder though, he doesn’t have the heart to ask Chanyeol to move.

“Come on, Junnie, you have to.”

Junmyeon doesn’t understand why it’s such a big deal. They haven’t made it official, so what? At least he know how Sehun feels. Junmyeon thinks that’s more than enough. Except Chanyeol is whining about their story being a slow-burn romance novel. He reads too many slow-burn romances, he needs to stop referencing them.

“Will you _ever_ ask him to be your boyfriend?”

Junmyeon rolls his eyes. “I will, if I think I’ll end up marrying him.”

“You need to ask him out first!” Chanyeol groans. “Oh God, Junmyeon, haven’t forgotten dating, have you?”

“I just,” Junmyeon sighs. “I just don’t want a heartbreak, okay? I’ve seen many people like that, and I want to save myself from that suffering.”

“Yeah, but you might actually end up marrying him!”

“ _Might_! It’s never an affirmation and I hate that! They all say that!”

The world freezes for Junmyeon, he looks at Chanyeol, heartbeat accelerating. He becomes breathless when Chanyeol moves away, and looks at him, eyes a little wide. “They?”

“It’s nothing-”

“You’re not getting away from this, Junmyeon.” Chanyeol’s voice is very stern, Junmyeon’s eyes sting with tears. It’s the same tone they used on his aunt. “Who are _‘_ _they’_?”

“You remember Aunt Son?”

Chanyeol nods.

“And that she had many boyfriends before she got married?”

Chanyeol nods again, and Junmyeon takes another deep breath. (His lungs are greedy for more air, but his chest cannot expand further, Junmyeon is fighting so much against his own body.)

“Some of her ‘many, many’ boyfriends were very abusive,” Junmyeon sighs. “Only the first three, but they were terrible and made her cry every night.”

Chanyeol pulls him into a hug he doesn’t have the energy to return, he just sobs. “I couldn’t sleep, and that wasn’t the problem, I was so scared. I woke up to her crying and their words for many months, every time I went there. Over summer, it got worse, and I saw him take out his belt and whack it at her.”

Chanyeol’s grip on him tightens, and Junmyeon can only sob harder. His lungs are still empty, and Junmyeon is gasping for more air, nothing is working.

“And- a few,” He hiccups. “A few years later, a month before I got my letter, I saw her new boyfriend get down on a knee, asking if she’d marry her, and- that- she was- _so_ happy, Chanyeollie. Even though, they’ve been dating for six months.”

“Oh Junmyeonnie,” Chanyeol rubs his back, and presses a kiss on Junmyeon’s shoulder. “Why did you keep all that in?”

“That’s why I don’t want to date till I’m sure I’ll marry that person,” Junmyeon hiccups again, feeling pathetic. “I’m _scared_. And dad said if I’m not brave I’m not a boy, and that boys shouldn’t be scared of anyone.”

Chanyeol looks at him, eyes red, cheeks wet. “That’s stupid. Junmyeonnie, everyone is scared of many things, it’s mundane, and there is no such thing as a person being brave makes them a boy, or being scared makes them a girl.”

Junmyeon nods. He knows that now, but he’s still scared to date anyone. Even dating Chanyeol was scary, and he likes Sehun a lot, but he does not want to end up in such situation.

“You don’t have to date him,” Chanyeol says. “But, telling him why you don’t want to will be better for both of you, he won’t hang on the idea, and you won’t feel guilty for making him wait.”

“I want to,” Junmyeon sighs. He has a feeling he will end up marrying Sehun, but if anything goes wrong, he has Chanyeol to lean onto – his aunt didn’t. “But, I don’t know how do I do that.”

They have a match tomorrow, and Junmyeon is now too tired to continue the conversation.

Junmyeon sighs. He’ll do it. He’s only been in one relationship, and Chanyeol was pretty easy to talk to, considering the embarrassing stunt he pulled without thinking again – oh!

“Are love letters still in style?”

~*~

Sehun stumbles into the room, eyes wide, holding the paper tightly in his hand. Junmyeon chuckles at his expression, and gestures him to come closer. He expected shock, but not with a mixture of stumbling, stuttering, and nearly falling on his face.

Sehun holds up the paper, buries his face into Junmyeon’s sheets, near his leg. “I-I think I almost cried.”

“So... will you?”

Sehun looks up at him, a serious expression on his face. “Yes, but we have a match to win.”

“Catch the Snitch and maybe I’ll kiss you as congratulations.”

“Oh.” Sehun looks at him in the eyes (if his life were a comic book, Sehun’s eyes would’ve been on fire with his determination). “I’ve never been so motivated to do something before.”

Junmyeon laughs, slapping Sehun’s arm. There is an adrenaline rush when he walks out the Common Room, it’s silent, but he knows where he will be in a few minutes, he’ll see Luhan and Yixing, who will give him a pat on his lower back, whisper their good lucks and they’ll enter the ground, with students cheering for them. It’s the best feeling in the whole world.

When they reach the room, Yixing pats his back, whispering his good luck. He returns it, and once Yixing steps away, Luhan attacks him into a hug. Junmyeon stumbles back, but returns the hug. Luhan is crying softly, and he’s mumbling something about entering the ground for the last time.

“Good luck,” Junmyeon whispers, he kisses Luhan’s neck (that’s the only way of comforting he knows, alright, no judging). “You’ll do great, Lu.”

Luhan nods, wipes his tears, hugs Yixing tighter, and they walk out of the room.

~*~

Junmyeon catches the Quffale, circling around the post to prevent his fall, and throws it towards Yixing, who catches it, and swiftly moves towards Gryffindor’s goalposts. Junmyeon checks their positions, the Beaters are doing their work really well, Chasers are synchronising good, not letting the Gryffindor Chasers catch the Quaffle, and Sehun is high up in the sky, staring at the ground.

“Ravenclaw makes another point!” Yells the commentator. There is an uproar in the Ravenclaw stand, and Junmyeon looks away from Sehun. The Gryffindor Chasers have the Quaffle now, Jieun is trying hard to hit the Buldger towards them, except her aim isn’t very keen. The Chaser throws the Quaffle, and Junmyeon takes a massive dive to catch it-

It touches his fingers, and goes through the goalpost. Junmyeon curses under his breath.

“Oh! A miss! That was a close one, buddy,” Says the commentator. Junmyeon should seriously remember his name sometime. “Gryffindor is leading with ten points!”

Junmyeon’s instant reaction is to search for their Seeker. They need to win this match, they haven’t won The Quidditch Cup since last year, and he really wants to win once again before resigning. He looks up, and Sehun is nowhere to be found. Junmyeon checks and finds the Quaffle in Luhan’s hands, he tosses it harshly to Kyungsoo, he escapes the Gryffindor Beaters’ Buldgers, and passes it back to Yixing. _Great teamwork, guys_ , Junmyeon thinks, and motions Jieun to defend Yixing.

“Looks like both Seekers have found the Snitch!”

Junmyeon frantically searches for them, and finds Sehun moving quickly around the ground, leaning forward on his broom, with the fellow Seeker next to him, her hand stretched out. If she doesn’t catch it, she’ll do something to slow him down – she always does that. Junmyeon doesn’t know how she gets away with it every freaking time.

“Both are moving with tremendous – also dangerous, I must say – speed. Oh! Ravenclaw makes another score!” The crowd cheers. Adrenaline runs faster in Junmyeon’s body, he tightens his grip on his broom, and looks forward. “We have a tie! Jackson has the Quaffle, and he’s moving quickly towards the goalpost! He’s not passing it to others- a new strategy, probably!”

Junmyeon squints at Jackson, the Quaffle is in his right hand, so he must be comfortable throwing it into the left or the lower loop. _But_ , Junmyeon moves to the middle loop, hunching his back a little, _he’s coming from the right, he can throw it into the right one easier_.

As Jackson comes closer, Junmyeon has only one chance, he moves to the right post, and the Quaffle passes right in front of his eyes, moving to the left post. Junmyeon extends his hand as quickly as he can and-

“ONE-FIFTY POINTS TO RAVENCLAW!” There is an uproar. “RAVENCLAW WINS! A WONDERFUL GAME!”

Junmyeon watches the Quaffle pass through the loop, and thinks it’s okay to let that one go. Everyone rush to land on their feet, and run to hug each other, to congratulate each other. Junmyeon runs to Yixing first, and squeezes him hard. Then to Luhan, and then to Jieun, who is crying.

“You did great, Jieun!” He pats her back. “Don’t cry now, we have many more games to go!”

She nods, but continues crying, anyway. Junmyeon turns around and finds Sehun standing there, the Snitch gripped tightly in his fist, smiling widely, and also crying. Junmyeon walks to him, smiling fondly, he wraps his arms around Sehun’s waist, and hugs him. “You did a great job, Sehunnie.”

“It feels great,” Sehun sobs. “I caught it and almost broke my face, but it feels _great_ , hyung.”

Junmyeon chuckles, and looks at his crying face. Junmyeon caresses Sehun’s cheek, pats softly there. “It does, eh? How about we go and take some rest before celebrating?”

Sehun nods. “Okay.”

~*~

Everyone in the Common Room is cheering, drinking Butterbeer (only the seventh and some rebellious sixth years), and congratulating each other over and over again – it won’t end till some player announces they are going to bed, and everyone realizes that they have to go to bed, too. Junmyeon sits on the edge of his bed, and Sehun crosses his long legs to give him space, his face pink.

“Would you, um, would you mind if I, you know, kissed you?”

Sehun’s face flushes darker, he mutters. “I would mind if you didn’t kiss me.”

 _It’s like being twelve again_ , Junmyeon thinks, _but I’m much smarter now, so there’s that._ He leans in a little, and carefully presses his lips against Sehun’s. They’re soft, Sehun’s lips, and when Sehun kisses him back, Junmyeon can’t help moving his hand onto Sehun’s neck, pushing his head as close as he can get.

Kissing Sehun is a completely new experience. Junmyeon can taste the strawberry bubblegum they had before the match, he can also taste a little bit of chocolate, and when Sehun’s hands settle on his waist, Junmyeon is irritated by their position.

He shifts, kneeling in front of Sehun, kissing the daylights out of Sehun, while leaning against him, both hands cupping Sehun’s cheeks.

When they break the kiss, gasping for breath, Junmyeon grins. “Congratulations, Sehunnie.”

“You too, hyung.” Sehun chuckles. “This is the best kiss I’ve ever had.”

Junmyeon pushes his body forward, both end up falling, and Junmyeon is kissing Sehun, he can’t get enough of it. He’s kissing a little, gasping in air, and kissing again. Junmyeon thinks it’s the post-match adrenaline which is telling him sleeping can wait.

“We won a match and I got myself a _boyfriend_ ,” Junmyeon mutters against Sehun’s lips. They’re so nice, Junmyeon isn’t sure if it’s healthy to like someone’s lips so much. “Mark this down as my Best Day ever.”

**Author's Note:**

> dear prompter: i know there aren’t many quidditch scenes as you wanted but i hope you like it nonetheless ;u; (if you couldn’t understand: i suck at actions scenes lol) and well, i hope it was what you wanted! dear readers: i hope you enjoyed it and pls lemme know if you did! (also a Huge thank u to c for beta-ing and correcting the tiny tiny mistakes i had made ily c :>)


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